My New Year’s Food Resolution

The longer the list of resolutions, the less likely that I’ll follow them.  And if the resolution requires will power there is almost no chance I’ll make it past January 15th.

This year I’ve made 1 resolution and it requires only that I follow my natural instincts:

I resolve to learn more about the food I prepare and eat.  

My lawyer-self won on the issue of sub-parts, so the full resolution is actually:

I resolve to learn more about my food,
including (but not limited to):

• What it is (really) made of;

• Who makes or grows it;

• Where it comes from; and

• How healthy or unhealthy it is.

I won’t obsess over the source, contents, and nutritional value of my food any more than I obsess over anything else that matters to me.  But being on autopilot is not a good idea when it comes to food. 

This past year I learned of the movement for better working conditions for workers harvesting tomatoes in the U.S.  I remember well the years without grapes, honoring Cesar Chavez and his Farmworkers Union grape boycott.  Doing without grocery store tomatoes is no big deal – and pressuring grocery chains to help make farmworkers lives better is not difficult.  I also found out about how eggs are produced on factory farms and the cage-free alternatives to inhumane chicken coops.   

I’ve started to read labels more carefully too.  Remember my post on sugar?  One reader let me know she didn’t eat the hamburger rolls she bought after she found they had sugar.  Just this past week, I spent almost a half hour scouring the shelves of a large grocery store looking for cold bran or wheat-based cereal that did not list sugar or corn syrup among the ingredients.  Much to my chagrin, I found only 1 – Shredded Wheat.  Many of the cereals that touted their “natural” or “pure this or that”, contained sweeteners.  There is nothing I love more than dessert and adding honey to tea works for my taste buds.  But I like to know what I’m eating and “hide the sweeteners” is not a fun game in my book.  

Lest you think I’m a grouch about all this stuff, I’m having the time of my life.  Researching food topics is fun – a treasure hunt every day.  I enjoy food even more when I’m conscious of what it really is and its origins.  

So here’s to 2012 – more knowledge, great food, and wonderful adventures!